Contact: Rep. Shelia Stubbs, (608) 237-9178
MADISON, WI – Tonight, Governor Tony Evers delivered his eighth and final State of the State address in the Assembly Chambers at the Wisconsin State Capitol, where he recognized the achievements of his administration and outlined his remaining policy priorities. Representative Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) released the following statement:
“Tonight, Governor Tony Evers came before the Legislature and the people of Wisconsin to announce his policy priorities for the remainder of his term.
I was elected in 2018, the same year as Governor Evers, and have had the pleasure of serving my constituents in the Wisconsin State Assembly for the entirety of his tenure as Governor. I salute Governor Evers for his sound leadership, unshakeable integrity, and innumerable investments in the State of Wisconsin and thank him for his hard work over the past eight years to improve the lives of all Wisconsinites.
Governor Evers has declared 2026 the Year of the Neighbor, in celebration of our neighbors across the state who help make Wisconsin a great place to live, and in acknowledgement that we can all do more to be better neighbors within our communities.
As legislators, being a good neighbor means investing in our public schools and special education. It means taking care of our shared land, water, and natural resources. It means ensuring that necessities like groceries, healthcare, and housing are affordable for all our constituents.
Being a good neighbor means building neighborhoods free from violence and envisioning a Wisconsin where every person is safe, healthy, and respected.
In the Year of the Neighbor, we must all strive to be good neighbors to one another. Governor Evers has led by example, undertaking numerous measures to strengthen our communities, support working families, and protect the rights of everyone in our state.
Governor Evers’ administration has undertaken substantial efforts to promote safety, affordability, and sustainable development across our state, from investing in critical infrastructure improvements, to growing our workforce, to creating policies that save lives. In his eight years in office, Governor Evers has signed many bipartisan bills that accomplish these goals, including the PRINCE Act, a bill that I authored which created the Missing Child Alert, so that missing children can be found and returned safely to their families as quickly as possible.
In this evening’s address, Governor Evers not only acknowledged the successes of his two terms, but also addressed the work that remains ahead of us to properly fund our schools, provide relief to communities impacted by PFAS contamination, restore the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, ensure affordable healthcare, continue critical funding for FoodShare, and lower out-of-pocket costs for all residents of our state.
Governor Evers was especially clear in this evening’s remarks about our responsibility as a state legislature to address and prevent violence by continuing to fund the Office of Violence Prevention, which Governor Evers created by Executive Order on January 14, 2025, based on a bill that I have been introducing since 2021.
In his 2025-2027 Executive Budget, Governor Evers included $3.5 million in Fiscal Year 26 and $8.5 million in Fiscal Year 27 to continue funding for the Office of Violence Prevention, including $80,200 in Fiscal Year 26 and $99,500 in Fiscal Year 27 to fund one full-time position to staff the Missing and Murdered African American Women and Girls Task Force, which I have been introducing for the past 3 legislative sessions. Unfortunately, that funding was removed by the Joint Committee on Finance.
I will continue to advocate for sustainable funding for the Office of Violence Prevention, and I will continue to advocate for the creation of a Missing and Murdered African American Women and Girls Task Force to address our state’s pressing disparities in homicide victimization and missing persons cases.
To truly be good neighbors, we must continue our commitment to building safer, stronger, healthier communities. In the Year of the Neighbor, I look forward to working together with the Governor and with my colleagues in the Legislature to pass legislation that helps every neighbor thrive and succeed.
My congratulations go out to Governor Evers for his many accomplishments during his administration. I am proud to have worked with Governor Evers over the past eight years, and I will continue to stand beside him as we create a Wisconsin that works for everyone.”
